Title: Bar Student Diaries Part 2 – The Modules That Took Me by Surprise!
I'm Tarra, a Bar Vocational Studies (BVS) student in City St George's, and this is Part Two of my series entitled Bar Student Diaries, whereby I post threads around my life as a Bar student! Today I will be covering the modules I did for the BVS, which are very different from my undergrad modules!
My Modules
1. Civil Litigation and Dispute Resolution
2. Criminal Litigation, Evidence and Sentencing
3. Legal Research and Opinion Writing (although taught together, these count as 2 modules)
4. Conference Skills
5. Advocacy: Submissions
6. Cross-examination
7. Evidence in Chief (Cross-examination and Evidence in Chief are typically taught by the same tutor and share the same class slot - students tend to alternate between Cross and Chief from week to week!)
8. Drafting
9. Professional Ethics
As a basic overview of the modules, I was essentially learning about the procedure around going to court in civil and criminal cases (Civil and Criminal Litigation) as well as a wealth of practical skills dealing with various people including having conferences with your client (Conference Skills) and how to make an application before a judge (Advocacy: Submissions). I also learned how to control a witness in Cross-examination and Evidence-in-Chief. In addition to that, I learned how to write a legal opinion whereby I essentially produce a written piece of advice about a client’s legal position based on the evidence furnished to me (Legal Research and Opinion Writing) as well as draft court documents (Drafting) – which are things I expect to do in chambers as a barrister! Finally, I learned the ethics around it all (Professional Ethics)!
My Modules
1. Civil Litigation and Dispute Resolution
2. Criminal Litigation, Evidence and Sentencing
3. Legal Research and Opinion Writing (although taught together, these count as 2 modules)
4. Conference Skills
5. Advocacy: Submissions
6. Cross-examination
7. Evidence in Chief (Cross-examination and Evidence in Chief are typically taught by the same tutor and share the same class slot - students tend to alternate between Cross and Chief from week to week!)
8. Drafting
9. Professional Ethics
As a basic overview of the modules, I was essentially learning about the procedure around going to court in civil and criminal cases (Civil and Criminal Litigation) as well as a wealth of practical skills dealing with various people including having conferences with your client (Conference Skills) and how to make an application before a judge (Advocacy: Submissions). I also learned how to control a witness in Cross-examination and Evidence-in-Chief. In addition to that, I learned how to write a legal opinion whereby I essentially produce a written piece of advice about a client’s legal position based on the evidence furnished to me (Legal Research and Opinion Writing) as well as draft court documents (Drafting) – which are things I expect to do in chambers as a barrister! Finally, I learned the ethics around it all (Professional Ethics)!
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